GOAT LabEarthSciRef: Earth Science & Meteorology Reference
EarthSciRef is a free reference covering five Earth science fields: 48 minerals, 21 geologic time units, volcanic eruption types (VEI 0–8), earthquake magnitude scales, and 17 cloud and optical types. Data is drawn from ICS, WMO, USGS, and Mindat.
- Free
- No sign-up
- Works offline
What is EarthSciRef?
EarthSciRef is a static, multilingual reference site for Earth science and meteorology. It catalogs 48 minerals, 21 geologic time units from Hadean to Holocene, 7 eruption types plus 9 notable volcanoes, 5 earthquake magnitude scales with 10 historical quakes, and 17 cloud and optical phenomena.
How does it work?
Each category has a filterable index and detail pages. Minerals filter by Mohs hardness, specific gravity, luster, and crystal system; volcanoes sort by VEI; earthquakes compare Mw, Mj, Ms, mb, and ML scales with energy values. All 615 pages are prerendered as static HTML for instant load.
When should I use it?
Use EarthSciRef when you need a quick, sourced value: a mineral's chemical formula or hardness, an era's age in millions of years, a magnitude formula, an eruption's VEI, or a cloud genus and its altitude. It is built for students, hobbyists, and quick fact-checking rather than deep research.
At a glance
| Minerals cataloged | 48 species with formula, Mohs hardness, specific gravity, crystal system, luster, streak, locality |
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| Geologic time units | 21 units, Hadean (4600 Mya) to Holocene (last 11,700 yr) |
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| Earthquake magnitude scales | Mw, Mj, Ms, mb, ML (Richter); Mw = (2/3)·log₁₀(M₀) − 6.07 |
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| Largest recorded quake | 1960 Valdivia, Chile — Mw 9.5, ~1.1×10¹⁹ J |
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| Volcano coverage | 7 eruption types + 9 notable volcanoes, VEI 0–8 |
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| Cloud & optical types | 10 WMO cloud genera (Ci, Cu, Cb…) + 7 optical phenomena |
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| Languages | English, 日本語, Español, 中文, Deutsch |
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| Data sources | ICS Geologic Time Scale 2024, WMO Cloud Atlas, USGS, Mindat |
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Frequently asked questions
How many minerals and geologic periods does EarthSciRef cover?
EarthSciRef lists 48 minerals (Quartz, Diamond, Calcite, Pyrite, and more) and 21 geologic time units spanning eons, eras, periods, and epochs from the Hadean (4600–4000 Mya) to the Holocene.
What earthquake magnitude scales does it include?
It documents five scales: Moment (Mw), JMA (Mj), Surface-wave (Ms), Body-wave (mb), and Local/Richter (ML). For example, Mw = (2/3) × log₁₀(M₀) − 6.07, the non-saturating international standard.
What is the largest earthquake listed?
The 1960 Valdivia earthquake in Chile, Mw 9.5, the largest ever recorded, releasing about 1.1×10¹⁹ J. Other entries include the 2011 Tōhoku and 2004 Sumatra events, both Mw 9.1.
Where does EarthSciRef get its data?
Content synthesizes public-domain sources: the ICS Geologic Time Scale 2024, the WMO International Cloud Atlas, USGS, and Mindat mineral data. It is original synthesis, not auto-translated.
What is the VEI range covered for volcanoes?
Volcanoes are documented across the full Volcanic Explosivity Index, VEI 0 to 8, from Kīlauea (VEI 0) up to the Toba supereruption (~74,000 BP, VEI 8, ~2,800 km³ of magma).
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